UPS Driver’s Truck Hijacked, Claimed Workers Compensation for PTSD, W. Va Supreme Court Awards the Compensation The Supreme Court of West Virginia has decided that a UPS worker, who filed a workers compensation claim due to PTSD suffered after his truck was hijacked, is entitled to workers compensation due to the physical nature of the injury. In August 2010, Jay Hannah’s UPS truck was hijacked by Joseph Dennis Harrison, who held Hannah at gunpoint and forced him to drive the Wirt County state police detachment. The events of the hijacking … [Read more...]
AT&T Not Liable for Telecommute Workers Comp Death Benefits
March 6, 2020 by
Court Releases AT&T From Paying Workers Comp Death Benefits for Telecommute Worker’s Family On Wednesday, July 30th, the Supreme Court of New Jersey freed AT&T from paying a workers comp death benefits claim to the family of a telecommuting worker who died from a blood clot while working for 10 hours straight. Cathleen Renner died in September 2007 from a pulmonary thromboembolism after sitting at her desk working for 10 hours straight. James P. Renner, Cathleen’s husband and now widower, filed a workers comp death benefits claim … [Read more...]
Man Entitled to Workers Comp for Kickball Injury
August 29, 2014 by
Workers Comp Should Pay for Kickball Injury South Carolina’s high court ruled that a man, who was required to go to a company kickball game, is entitled to workers comp to help pay for medical expenses from a kickball injury. On Wednesday, August 27th, the state Supreme Court ruled that Stephen Whigham was required to attend the game as part of his job with Jackson Dawson Communications. The kickball game was a team-building activity for employees, which meant that all employees were required to participate in the sport. During the … [Read more...]
Physicians Make Difference in Workers Comp Costs
August 28, 2014 by
Self-Interested Physicians Drive Up Workers Comp Costs in Some States A study of three states conducted by the Workers Comp Research Institute revealed that high mark-ups for physicians and physician-dispensed drugs was largely responsible for increases in workers comp costs. The study looked at workers comp costs in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. In both Maryland and Pennsylvania, lawmakers unsuccessfully attempted to curb physician dispensing of pharmaceuticals for workers comp insurance; in Maryland, 40% of prescriptions for … [Read more...]
Florida Workers Comp Law Declared Unconstitutional
August 22, 2014 by
Miami Judge Rules Against Florida Workers Comp Law A judge from the Miami area declared Florida’s workers comp laws unconstitutional on Wednesday, August 13th. Since 1968, workers comp in Florida has been the “exclusive” legal remedy in the event that an employee is injured on the job. However, starting in 1990, legislators began to chip away at the benefits offered by the system, justifying the reductions as measures to keep Florida competitive against other states when attracting businesses. Subsequently, workers who are injured on the … [Read more...]
Fear of Job Stability Affects Workers Comp Outcomes
June 24, 2014 by
Workers’ Fear of Job Loss Affects Workers Comp Outcomes Researchers looking at workers comp outcomes have identified job anxiety as a major factor in treatment and injury outcomes. “Better information about the predictors of poorer worker outcomes may allow payors and doctors to better target health care and return-to-work interventions to those most at risk,” said Dr. Richard Victor, executive director of the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), which looked at workers comp across eight states. The study, Predictors of Worker … [Read more...]
BP Sued for Failing to Pay Workers Compensation After Spill Clean-Up
June 19, 2014 by
BP Faces Lawsuit for Failing to Pay Workers Compensation After Oil Spill Clean-Up A company that helped provide clean-up services after the 2010 oil spill caused by BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster has filed a lawsuit against the petroleum company for millions of dollars for failing to pay workers compensation costs. Fluor Corp. is suing British Petroleum (BP) for violating a contractual agreement and failing to pay litigation costs that Fluor incurred from workers comp claims. A subsidiary of Fluor agreed to help BP clean up the Gulf of … [Read more...]
Commission Cracks Down on Workers Compensation Fraud
June 9, 2014 by
Tennessee Cracks Down on Employer Workers' Comp Fraud in the Construction Industry The Tennessee Department of Labor announced that it has been expanding its efforts to uncover employer workers compensation fraud in the construction industry in order to better protect workers in the construction industry who are entitled to file a workers compensation claim. The Workers Compensation Division has implemented new procedures to identify potential workers comp and payroll fraud such as intentionally misclassifying workers as independent … [Read more...]
Ohio Workers Comp Bureau Carefully Monitors Prescription Drugs
February 6, 2014 by
Ohio Creates Better Monitoring System for Prescription Drug Abuse in Workers Comp Cases The Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation has created a system to better monitor prescription drugs, especially pain and anti-anxiety medications, to help prevent drug abuse. Starting in January 2014, the state-run workers comp insurance provider said it will no longer cover prescriptions for injured workers unless the provider enrolls in an automated reporting system, so the workers comp company can monitor potential abuse of opiate … [Read more...]
AMA’s Reclassification of Obesity as Treatable Disease Could Affect Workers Comp
September 9, 2013 by
Workers Comp, Especially in California, Could Be Affected by Reclassification of Obesity In July, the American Medical Assocation (AMA) reclassified obesity as a treatable disease. A study just one month later, conducted by the California Workers Compensation Institute, suggested that the classification could have a significant impact on workers comp costs in the state. “The result could be an increasing number of claims that include obesity as a comorbidity, as well as an increase in cases in which obesity is claimed as a compensable … [Read more...]
